Potential
by TetraTitania
Summary: Neville Longbottom melts cauldrons. He falls from broomsticks. He cowers at professors and fellow students alike. He is shy, nervous, and slow-witted. But he was not born that way...


"Things settling down for you at home then, Thalia?" Arabella Figg asked as she settled back in her chair. She picked up her knitting and stared into the fire, where Thalia Longbottom's head sat, smiling back at her. 

"Oh, certainly," Thalia replied. "I can't believe it's been almost a year since You-Know-Who was killed. It's been so nice having Frank home again. He was gone so often, chasing after Death Eaters. Now that he's hanging 'round here more, Miranda doesn't even know what to do with him." 

"And how's little Neville?" prompted Arabella.

"Not quite so little anymore," replied Thalia. "He's just turned one year old. Frank and Miranda have had to baby-proof the house something good since he's learned to walk. The first time he got his chubby little hands on Frank's wand..." She trailed off, consumed with mirth. Recovering, she continued, "Oh, what a disaster. Zooming objects all over the room, he was. They keep their wands on high shelves now, most of the time."

Arabella sighed. "He'll be a right talented wizard, that one. It must be so wonderful to have a little one running 'round the house. All I've got are my cats."

"You're not _so_ lonely, are you Arabella?" teased Thalia. "Now that all this trouble with You-Know-Who's ended, Dumbledore must have more time to spend with you. In fact, its being summer holidays, isn't he hanging about quite a bit now?"

Arabella, crimson-faced, suddenly became fixated on the sock she was knitting. "Albus has retired already. He's upstairs, sleeping." 

Thalia chuckled heartily. "And I suppose those socks are for him? You wouldn't make them for anyone else, I know how much you hate--" She broke off suddenly, and Arabella heard in the background a clattering sound and muffled cries that sounded like they were coming from the next room. "Just a moment, dear," said Thalia. "I've got to go check on the baby." 

___

Thalia turned from the fireplace and crossed the room to the crib where Neville was standing in his crib, wailing and pointing at the door. She scooped him up, murmuring soothing words, and hurried into the living room towards the ruckus. 

What she saw almost made her drop the baby. 

The front door was ripped off its hinges. The room was full of violent green light. Her daughter-in-law thrashed against ropes that bound her to a chair. Her son lay convulsing on the floor. Four masked, hooded figures hovered over him. They could only be Death Eaters. 

As Frank stopped shaking, one of the Death Eaters growled, "Where is he? Where is our master?" Frank moaned. This one, who appeared to be in charge, backhanded him across the face and commanded, "Talk, damn you!" Frank spit in his face. "_Crucio_!" snapped the Leader. Frank shrieked and recommenced convulsing. 

Thalia ran from the room. Neville's whimpers could not be heard over his fathers cries.

___

"Arabella, get Dumbledore, quick! They're here! Death Eaters! Frank and Miranda! Dumbledore, Arabella, help!" yelled the head that reappeared in the fireplace. Screams echoed from behind her.

Arabella's knitting fell from her hands. "Thalia, what--?" Suddenly the bearded figure of Albus Dumbledore Apparated beside her. 

"Thalia, do your best to hold them off. Arabella, call Moody and Fudge. I'll be there as soon as I can." He Disapparated.

___

Still clutching baby Neville in her left arm, brandishing her wand, Thalia ran back into the living room. The horror had only magnified. Frank was now floating three feet above the floor, as if hanging by the back of his neck from the ceiling. His eyes were fixed wide open, magically forced to stare at the scene on the living room rug. The Death Eaters had turned their attentions to Miranda. They had stripped her naked and two of them had her pinned to the ground while a third raped her. The Leader was standing above them, his wand pointed at her. "_Crucio_!" he yelled. Miranda moaned and convulsed beneath her attackers. 

The Leader turned to face the hovering Frank. "Now will you talk, Auror? Brave, strong fighter for the Ministry of Magic? You see here that we are still stronger than any of you. We still live. We still thrive. We will find our Master, and you will help us. Now tell us where he is, or we'll have to hurt your wife more still. Tell us! _Crucio_!" 

Neville was crying now as only a baby can. Tears coursed down his face as he pointed at Frank's shaking form. "_Stupefy_! _Impedimenta_! _Stupefy_!" yelled Thalia as she ran towards Miranda. Her poorly-aimed spells merely ricocheted off the walls and knocked a vase off of the coffee table. Those on the floor were undeterred. One pointed his wand over his shoulder and disarmed her, casually, as if swatting a fly. Frank's interrogator whirled around to face Thalia. 

"So, this is the offspring of the powerful Auror? Perhaps he can make you talk." He pointed his wand at the baby. "_Accio_!" Neville flew from his grandmother's arms into the grasp of the Death Eater. The baby writhed, his head flopping back, his eyes rolling, his tiny teeth visible as he screamed in terror. She moved to chase after the baby, but the Death Eater stunned her. She fell to the floor in a heap. 

"Training him to be one of you? No, we can't have that. There will be no Junior Aurors here," commented the Leader lightly. He ran his finger along Neville's brow, causing him to gasp for air and wail at an even higher pitch. The mirror on the wall behind him cracked. "Oh, aren't you a powerful one," the Death Eater observed. "Let's see what we can do about your potential." He touched the tip of his wand to Neville's chest. Frank kicked out, trying to reach the masked figure, but to no avail. "_Crucio_!" hissed the Leader.

Neville's body began to vibrate furiously, radiating a harsh red light. He thrashed his arms and wailed. All of the windows in the room shattered in unison. 

"_STUPEFY_!" yelled twenty voices at once. A pack of Aurors and Hit-Wizards charged into the room, led by Albus Dumbledore and Alastor Moody. 

Miranda's attackers slumped over her. The Leader collapsed, dropping the baby, who hit the coffee table with a dull thud. Frank fell from the air, cracking his head on a bookcase. 

Moody climbed over the Leader's unconscious body and picked up the crying baby. Dry, racking sobs shook Neville's tiny body, his face was flushed and red, and every few seconds his muscles contracted and he convulsed. As Medi-Wizards swooped past them to attend to the Longbottoms, Moody slowly turned to face Dumbledore, a look of shock on his face. 

"What on earth has happened here?" he whispered.


End file.
